Tiramisu Brownies
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. Read the full disclosure here.
These tiramisu brownies layer a scratch brownie base, coffee-soaked ladyfingers, and a swirl of sweetened mascarpone cheese. If you love tiramisu but want a thick, fudgy brownie instead of a fussy layered dessert, this one’s for you!
TIRAMISU VIBES WITHOUT ALL THE WORK
I’ll be honest: tiramisu itself isn’t something I typically order off a dessert menu. But I love everything it’s about— the coffee-soaked layers, the sweetened mascarpone, the espresso flavor running through the whole thing, and a little raspberry remix when the mood strikes. So when I set out to make a tiramisu brownie during my Brownie of The Month series in 2020, my goal was simple: keep all of that delicious tiramisu business going on, without losing the brownie as the hero.
I considered strictly starting from my coffee brownies, but I wanted an even stronger coffee flavor, so I built a layer I could actually soak in strong coffee, just like a traditional tiramisu, minus the sponge cake. Traditional tiramisu almost always uses ladyfingers instead of sponge cake anyway, so that felt like the right move.
Spoiler alert: coffee lovers, you are going to swoooooon over these.
These brownies take everything you love about tiramisu (the coffee, the ladyfingers, and the mascarpone) and layer it all into my go-to brownie base. Think of them as a chocolate-forward spin on tiramisu: thick, full of texture, and with coffee flavor in all the right places.
LET’S TALK About the Brownie Base
This tiramisu brownie starts with my scratch brownie recipe, the one a lot of you come to as an alternative to a box mix. Folks usually land on them because they don’t have cocoa powder on hand, or because they’d rather not risk ending up with a cakey brownie instead of a fudgy one. Either reason is one to adopt that base into your regular baking rotation.
It’s a reliable, from scratch base that nearly all of my other brownie recipes build from, and it holds up beautifully under a layer of soaked ladyfingers and mascarpone without losing its identity as a brownie.
Over the years, I’ve tweaked this particular version to push the coffee flavor to its limits, including adding espresso powder right into the brownie batter itself. Between that and soaking the ladyfinger layer in coffee, these brownies end up with a deep, unmistakable coffee flavor throughout, not just in the middle layer (does this make them an acceptable option for breakfast? Maybe…).
KEY INGREDIENTS YOU WILL NEED
You can find a full list of ingredients and amounts in the recipe card below, but you’ll need a handful of ingredients you likely don’t have on hand. Let’s talk about what they are and where you can find them.
ESPRESSO POWDER: this ingredient wasn’t in the original recipe from 2020, but it’s a total game changer. You can find this ingredient in the baking aisle of your grocery store. And if you’re looking for another place to use it, consider my coffee whipped cream on top of my coffee cheesecake (drool).
LADYFINGERS: you can find these in the cookie aisle of your grocery store. There’s a chance they might be in the global flavors section, but mine typically keeps them with the cookies.
MASCARPONE CHEESE: if your grocery store has a specialty cheese section, you can often find mascarpone cheese there. It comes in a tub like cream cheese.
STRONG COFFEE: ok, this isn’t really an ingredient I’m not expecting you to have, but you don’t necessarily need to brew coffee to make these brownies. You can follow the instructions on the jar of the espresso powder some espresso. Whatever is easiest for you works great here. You just need half a cup!
WHAT ARE LADYFINGERS?
Before I ever opened a box, I assumed ladyfingers would be soft and cake-like. They’re actually the complete opposite: a hard, crunchy, very light cookie. But their ability to soak up liquid is what makes them perfect here! They turn into that soft, cake-like texture I originally expected, but only once they’ve had a chance to absorb the coffee.
One sleeve of ladyfingers (12 cookies) is all you need. I trim a few to make them fit the pan neatly (it does not need to be beautiful or perfect), and the arrangement comes together nicely.
WHAT IS MASCARPONE CHEESE?
If you’re not familiar with mascarpone, think of it as a cross between cream cheese and whipped cream– it’s smooth and spreadable like cream cheese, but much less tangy, with a flavor and texture closer to unsweetened whipped cream. It makes a wonderful, milder stand-in for cream cheese in desserts like this one, without losing any of that creamy richness.
Because of the mascarpone, these brownies will need to live in the fridge, but I like to pull a square out and let it sit at room temperature for about 15 minutes before digging in. That little bit of patience makes a real difference for the texture of the brownie so it’s not too firm.
HOW TO MAKE TIRAMISU BROWNIES
There are three components here: the brownie batter, the mascarpone layer, and the coffee-soaked ladyfingers, and everything comes together in stages.
Start the brownie batter: melt the butter and chopped chocolate together in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring frequently until completely smooth, then set it aside to cool while you move on to the mascarpone layer.
Make the mascarpone layer: beat the softened mascarpone cheese with the sugar, egg, and salt until totally smooth, then set that aside too.
Finish the brownie batter: whisk both sugars into the cooled chocolate mixture until combined, then whisk in the espresso powder. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each addition, then whisk in the vanilla. Add the flour and salt and stir gently just until everything is combined. Lastly, reserve about ⅓ cup of this batter– you’ll use it for the swirled top layer.
Assemble the brownies: pour the remaining brownie batter into your prepared pan. Press each ladyfinger cookie upside down into the batter until all 12 are in place, then pour the brewed coffee evenly over the top (it will soak right in).
Add the final layer: working quickly so the coffee doesn’t pool, spread the mascarpone layer over the ladyfingers, covering any exposed cookie. Finish by dropping spoonfuls of the reserved brownie batter over the mascarpone and dragging a knife through it to create swirls. Bake, and let the brownies cool completely before slicing.
HERE’S WHY READERS (AND YOU WILL!) LOVE THESE BROWNIES
Starting from my go-to fudgy scratch brownie base means the texture is dependable from the first bite. The ladyfingers add a completely different dimension– since they’re cakey and spongy, they remain distinct from the fudgy brownie around them rather than disappearing into it.
Soaking them in just enough coffee gives them plenty of flavor without breaking down their structure, so that middle layer stays intact and spongy instead of turning soggy (majorly important).
The swirled mascarpone-and-brownie-batter topping adds a third texture and a pop of creaminess, rounding out everything that makes tiramisu so good without actually being tiramisu.
It’s less a copy of the original and more a remix. There’s no soaking and layering cookies by hand and no whipping cream to stiff peaks. It’s simply my favorite brownie recipe with a couple of very intentional extra (and delicious) layers.
Tiramisu Brownies
Ingredients
BROWNIES
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter cut into 6-8 slices
- 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- ¾ cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 2 Tablespoons (12g) espresso powder
- 3 large eggs room temperature preferred1
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour be sure to measure properly
- ¼ teaspoon salt
MASCARPONE LAYER
- 8 ounces (226g) mascarpone cheese softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg room temperature preferred1
- ¼ teaspoon salt
LADYFINGER LAYER
- 12 Ladyfingers
- ½ cup (120mL) strong brewed coffee
Instructions
BROWNIE LAYER
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF (177ºC). Line an 8" square baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray. Set aside.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and chopped chocolate, stirring frequently until completely smooth. Allow mixture to cool while you move onto the mascarpone layer.½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, 8 ounces (227g) semi-sweet chocolate
MASCARPONE LAYER
- In a medium size bowl with a handheld mixer or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the softened mascarpone cheese, sugar, egg, and salt until completely smooth.8 ounces (226g) mascarpone cheese, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 1 large egg, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Set aside.
FINISH THE BROWNIE LAYER
- Whisk both sugars into cooled chocolate mixture until combined, then whisk in the espresso powder.¾ cup (150g) firmly packed brown sugar, ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar, 2 Tablespoons (12g) espresso powder
- Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth, then whisk in the vanilla.3 large eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Add the flour and salt and stir gently until everything is completely combined.¾ cup (90g) all-purpose flour, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Reserve ⅓ cup of the batter and set it aside.
ASSEMBLE BROWNIES
- Pour the remaining brownie batter into the prepared pan.
- Press each individual Ladyfinger cookie upside down into the brownie batter. See post narrative for a visual.12 Ladyfingers, ½ cup (120mL) strong brewed coffee
- Once you have placed all 12 Ladyfinger cookies, pour the brewed coffee evenly over the Ladyfingers.
- Working quickly because the Ladyfingers will become quite soft, pour the mascarpone layer on top of the Ladyfingers and, using a spatula, carefully spread the layer and cover all exposed cookies.
- Drop spoonfuls of the reserved brownie batter on top of the mascarpone cheese layer and use a knife to create swirls by dragging it through the batter.
- Bake brownies for 38-42 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Allow brownies to cool completely before cutting into squares. Store brownies covered in the refrigerator up to 1 week or in the freezer up to 2 months.
Video
Notes
- Room temperature eggs: these incorporate into batter much more easily than cold eggs, although this is not absolutely necessary.
Nutrition Disclosure
All nutritional values are approximate and provided to the reader as a courtesy. Changing ingredients and/or quantities will alter the estimated nutritional calculations.
These brownies were so delicious! I usually make brownies from a box so it was definitely more difficult than that but for a specialty brownie recipe it wasn’t that bad! The instructions were so detailed and easy to follow, and they turned out so good! Thank you!
I’m so glad you went for it and had success making brownies from scratch!
Where is the rum flavor? Can I sub The rum extract for the vanilla?
Hi, Gail– no rum. You can absolutely add some extract. I would not omit the vanilla, just add some of the rum. Enjoy!
I want to make these for an event. There is no fridge. Can these be served room temp? They will be out of the fridge for about two days. They will be in single serve baggies and made a few days a head of time.
Hi, Michelle– yes, they can! Enjoy!
Can you use boxed brownie mix if feeling lazy for the brownie portion?
Hi, Al– of course! This brownie base will be the equivalent to one standard box mix. Enjoy!
I ended up using Ghirardelli brownie mix and it was super easy and delish! Everyone said my (your) brownies won thanksgiving!
So happy to hear this! Thanks for sharing 🙂